


Ursa Major

by SailorChibi



Series: Miraculous Hive [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumatized Alya Césaire, Angst, Angst and Fluff, Bee Chloé Bourgeois, Bee Miraculous, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Chloé Bourgeois and Adrien Agreste act like siblings, Fox Miraculous, Fox Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Gen, Hugging, Mention of blood, Miraculous Holder Chloé Bourgeois, Miraculous Holder Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Miraculous Side Effects, Original Akuma, POV Chloé Bourgeois, Post-Episode: s03 Caméléon | Chameleon, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Protective Adrien Agreste, Protective Chloé Bourgeois, Protective Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a lot of hugging, ie Alya is not akumatized into Lady Wifi this time, ignores the rest of season three, mild violence, post-reveal, protective nathaniel kurtzberg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 07:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17914250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Introducing Filou to Paris has an unexpected consequence.





	Ursa Major

**Author's Note:**

> This part got a little more angsty than I intended, oops.

“Are they always like this?”

“Like what?”

“Like… that.”

Queen Bee glances up from her phone to follow Filou’s gaze. He’s staring at Ladybug and Chat. The two of them are having some ridiculous competition over who can do the fanciest acrobatics while jumping straight up into the air. As she watches, Chat leaps straight up and does a double back roll and then lands with a cartwheel and a flourish, grinning widely at Ladybug.

“What?” Queen Bee says again, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

“They’re so… flirty.”

“Ooh. Yeah. Constantly. You should get used to it.”

Filou frowns, then flops over backwards. “Being a miraculous holder isn’t at all what I thought it would be.”

“You know what they say about meeting your heroes,” Queen Bee says absently. She and Chat have started an Instagram account and it’s insanely popular. They might have a small competition going on to see who can get the best shot. Right now, Chat is winning with a shot of Ladybug in the middle of performing a back flip. Her back is arched, head back, pigtails flying in the wind. All that can be seen of her face is a one half-open eye.

“It’s not that. I just thought you guys knew what you were doing.”

She snorts. “Not even close.” Her mind sparks on an idea and she grins, laying back beside Filou. He eyes her curiously, but doesn’t pull away when she scoots closer and leans over to press their cheeks together. Queen Bee holds her phone aloft, smiles wide, and snaps a selfie.

Perfect. She looks cool and sexy, her head tipped at just the right angle to show off the curve of her cheekbone – all those hours she spent helping Adrien to be the perfect model had to pay off somehow. Filou’s eyes are a little wide and his lips are slightly parted. His ears are standing straight up and the tip of his tail is just visible over one shoulder. He looks like a lost little fox. Queen Bee grins, shooting a triumphant look at Chat.

_#MiraculousSquad #NewFox #Filou sneak peek at our new miraculous member say hello to Filou Paris_

Annnnnnd post.

It takes about thirty seconds for her phone to start blowing up with notifications. Chat's phone starts doing the same thing; he lets out a startled yelp and comes within inches of landing on his ass. Ladybug grabs his arm at the last second, keeping him from hitting the ground. They look at each other, and then Chat gropes in his pocket for his phone. Ladybug leans over his shoulder so that they can both see the screen.

"Wha - QB! That's cheating!" Chat cries.

"Winning," Queen Bee drawls, smirking at him. "It's called _winning_."

" _Cheating_. You didn't say Filou was fair game!"

"I never said he wasn't."

Ladybug giggles, covering her mouth. "I guess the cat's out of the bag now," she says.

Chat looks up at her with an expression of what can only be called pure adoration. "My Lady!"

Ladybug smiles and boops him on the nose with her index finger. "I'd say this round goes to Queen Bee, I'm afraid."

"Ugh," Chat mutters, getting up. "Fine. You win. But I will find a better picture!"

"Sure you will," Queen Bee says breezily. "Now get over here. Only fair we take a picture with all four of us." She wiggles her phone enticingly. Ladybug practically runs over to them; Chat makes a big deal out of crossing his arms and slowly slinking towards them, pouting dramatically.

"Stop sulking. You better smile," Queen Bee tells him. 

Chat makes a face at her, then kneels behind her and Filou. He leans forward and drapes both arms over Queen Bee's shoulders and down her chest, resting his head on top of hers. Ladybug sits in front of them, since she's so short, and leans back comfortably into Filou, who sets a hand on her shoulder. Queen Bee stretches out her arm and waits until everyone's smiling. Then she snaps the photo quickly, and uploads it to Instagram before anyone can tell her not to. 

"You know, Tikki is probably going to kill me for letting that happen," Ladybug says. "But it's a good photo of us. Let's take another one."

They end up snapping several different pictures: Ladybug dipping Chat back like she's going to kiss him, Chat and Filou standing back to back and grinning at the camera over their shoulders, Ladybug and Queen Bee giving each other a high five, Chat scooping Ladybug up and spinning her around, Chat giving Queen Bee a piggy back ride, Ladybug showing something on her yoyo to a fascinated Filou. Their last photo is another group one, this time with all four of them smooshing in together and giving the camera peace signs. It's dorky and so silly and Queen Bee uploads them all immediately.

"That should give Paris something to talk about," Filou says. "Though it's not exactly how I imagined making my mark." He grins at Queen Bee, and she smirks back.

"It was only a matter of time before someone caught sight of you anyway," says Chat. "People know that Ladybug and I patrol at night. They watch for us. I guess it's better that Queen Bee confirmed you weren't an akuma... even if she _did_ cheat by doing it."

"No one likes a poor loser, Adrikins," Queen Bee says, blowing him a kiss. "And on that note, I'm going home. It's after midnight and I need sleep before our physics test tomorrow."

Ladybug sucks in a breath and claps her hands to her face. "The physics test! Oh my god!"

"Don't tell me you forgot," Filou says, looking horrified.

"I totally forgot! Oh my god! I'm so fucked!"

"You're not fucked," Chat says quickly. "I'll go home with you. We can study together. You'll be a master in no time."

"I can't go straight home. I have to get Filou's miraculous back," Ladybug says, ringing her hands together.

"Queen Bee can do it," Chat says, and all three of them turn and look at her.

"Ugh, the sacrifices I make for this team," Queen Bee says, but it's pretty hard to say no to Ladybug when she's looking at you with wet blue eyes and a pout. 

"You'll survive," Chat says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She shrieks in outrage when he promptly tightens his grip and starts messing up her hair with his free hand, laughing like a maniac the whole time.

"Chat Noir, I will sting you!" she howls, fighting against him. He dodges her flailing hands.

"Are they always like this?" Filou asks Ladybug.

"Pretty much. I'm an only child, but listening to the two of them is exactly like listening to Alya fight with her little sisters," Ladybug says, folding her arms.

"As if!" Queen Bee finally manages to squirm away. She shoves Chat and he stumbles away, still cackling. "I would never have such a _dork_ for a brother!"

"You love me," Chat coos, blowing her a kiss.

Queen Bee flips him off, but she can't hide her grin and she knows it. He's such a little shit, but truth be told it's actually really nice to see Adrien lightening up and fooling around like this. Even when they were kids, she used to have to _make_ him have fun with her. He was always so concerned about getting caught and getting in trouble. Knowing his father the way she does, she can't exactly blame him for that. But it's still good to see him having fun, even if it does come at the expense of her poor hair.

"Come on," she says to Filou. "I need sleep. Let’s leave them to their studying."

"Good luck studying, Ladybug," Filou says.

"Thanks," Ladybug says, looking like she's two seconds away from yanking at her pigtails.

Filou leaps off the rooftop and Queen Bee follows using her stinger. His house isn't that far away; he leaps to his open window and slips inside. Queen Bee makes it to the windowsill just in time to see him detransform. He offers Trixx a handful of blueberries and Trixx scarfs them down. Only once Trixx is done does Nathaniel remove his miraculous, slip it back into the box, and hand it over to Queen Bee. She accepts it, even though it feels really weird: this is the first time she's ever been on the other end of a miraculous exchanging hands.

"Until next time," Queen Bee says, leaping backwards out the window. She heads home, already dreaming of the long, delightfully hot shower she's going to take before she collapses into bed.

Morning dawns far too early, as it usually does. Pollen feasts on honey crackers while Chloé hauls on a yellow dress, black tights, black boots and a black jacket. She makes a face at her reflection and hauls her hair into its usual high ponytail. She just barely remembers to stick the Fox miraculous into her pocket before she goes, because she has no doubt that, once the stress of the physics test is over, either Marinette or Adrien will actually remember to ask for it back.

“Time for school, my queen?” Pollen asks, brushing crumbs from her chin.

“Unfortunately,” Chloé says. “I can’t wait to come home and sleep for a while. I’m telling Marinette I’m not patrolling tonight. I need a break.”

“A break would do all of you good. A hive functions best when everyone gets the chance to rest,” Pollen says, peering up at Chloé worriedly. “You look very tired.”

“I’ll be fine,” Chloé says, pasting on a smile for Pollen’s benefit. “I think it’s partly all of the akumas lately and partly just the cold weather coming.”

Pollen nods somberly. “Winter will be very hard for you this year.”

Chloé purses her lips and smears some gloss on, then sighs. "I know. I'm not looking forward to it." They all noticed how sluggish Marinette got during the winter last year. Chloé usually took the chance to make fun of her, whereas other people in their class were actually concerned. Now, Chloé knows that it's because of the Ladybug miraculous. She didn't say as much to anyone, but it's another reason why she thinks having Filou around will be a good thing. Someone else to pick up the slack when the bug and the bee just want to hibernate.

She opens up her jacket and lets Pollen zip inside, then grabs her backpack and heads out. 

\----

_Ursa, I am Hawkmoth. You were a valid and important part of Ladybug's team until Queen Bee came into the picture. Now you've been cast aside and replaced by someone else, all because Ladybug chose Queen Bee over you. I can grant you the power to get revenge against Queen Bee so long as you agree to get me Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculous._

\---

The screaming is the first sign that something is wrong. Chloé's driver slams on the brakes so hard she goes lurching forward; her seatbelt stops her from sliding fully of the seat, then snaps her back against the seat. She just sits there for a moment, gasping in surprise, then fumbles with the fastener. It comes undone and she shoves the door open, propelling herself out of the car. Her driver screams her name but Chloé ignores him, lifting her head to try and figure out where the source of the screaming is coming from. Her stomach sinks when she realizes it's in the same direction as Collège Françoise Dupont.

That can't be good.

"Pollen, buzz on!" Chloé shouts, because the one good thing about her identity being known is that she doesn't have to waste time trying to find a place to hide.

Queen Bee takes to the rooftops, leaping across them to get closer to the school. The first thing she sees is what looks like a twenty-foot, bright red bear, except no bear Queen Bee's ever seen wears glasses or has four arms. Ladybug is already on scene, engaging with the akuma. As Queen Bee leaps off the rooftop and lands in the schoolyard, Ladybug throws her yoyo. It winds several times around the akuma before, in the blink of an eye, the akuma disappears, literally moving so fast that Queen Bee can't be sure it's not teleporting.

"Queen Bee!" Ladybug calls out. "Be careful! It's fast and its claws are extremely sharp!"

"Queen Bee," the akuma rumbles, baring a muzzle of razor sharp teeth. "I am Ursa, and I will have my revenge on you!"

"What?" Queen Bee says blankly, right before she squeaks when she realizes Ursa is coming right for her. She frantically throws her stinger and swings out of the way, her stomach lurching when Ursa punches the ground where she was standing and leaves behind a sizeable crater.

That could've been _her_. Good god. 

"Did you upset anyone?" Ladybug yells as Queen Bee lands on the school, clinging to one of the window ledges.

"No!" Queen Bee yells back, wracking her brain to try and figure out if she's lying. But no - she's been too busy and too tired lately to even _think_ about pissing anyone off. The last person she openly threatened was Lila Rossi, and it's been weeks since that happened.

"You must've pissed someone off," Ladybug says, swinging up beside Queen Bee. "Because this akuma has its heart set on trying to destroy you" She sounds grim.

"I think I would know if I pissed someone off," Queen Bee snaps. 

"Would you? You're pretty good at it. You might've done it unintentionally."

"If I did it unintentionally, then I wouldn't know!" Queen Bee says crossly, leaping off the edge of the side of the school and just barely avoiding a set of claws. She hits the ground a little harder than she wanted to and stumbles, then looks up immediately to find herself facing a crazed bear up close. Ursa roars, charging at her, and starts swinging four sets of claws Queen Bee's way. It's the most terrifying few moments of Queen Bee's life because it's all she can do to dodge them.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug calls out somewhere behind her. 

"Hurry!" Queen Bee shrieks. She tries to throw out her stinger but Ursa grabs it, wrenching it from her hands and flinging it across the yard.

"It's all your fault," Ursa rumbles, looming over her. "I was a good fox. I was the best fox. But you - you took that away from me!"

"Wait. _Alya_?!" Ladybug cries.

Queen Bee's mouth falls open. "Césaire?!" she breathes, shocked. 

"I'm going to destroy you," Ursa snarls, opening up a claw. Queen Bee's eyes lock onto them and she feels like she can't move.

"No!" Then, miraculously, Chat is there, grabbing her around the waist and yanking her out of the way. They go tumbling head over heels into the side of the school.

Ursa screams in rage and lunges after them. "I won't let anyone take away my chance for revenge! Queen Bee, this is all your fault!" 

"Cataclysm!" Chat yells, groping around behind them. The wall of the school crumbles behind them and he hauls Queen Bee inside with him, narrowly missing another set of claws. Ursa bellows outside.

"Oh my god," Queen Bee says, her heart hammering. "That was too close for comfort."

"Is that really Alya?" Chat says, sitting up. His hair is even more messed up than normal. "Why is she targeting you?"

"I-I think she must've seen the picture of me and Filou this morning." Queen Bee sits up, feeling a little shaky. She's had akuma target her before, but never one that's tried to outright kill her. It's a whole new level of terrifying. "And... she knows that I've kept my miraculous. All of Paris has seen me patrolling with you and Ladybug, and a lot of those pictures have been submitted to the Ladyblog. Plus, Césaire knows I'm pissed at how she's treated Marinette. She doesn't know that Marinette is Ladybug, she probably thinks I'm the one holding a grudge and that I convinced Ladybug to pick someone else as the Fox..."

Chat frowns, green eyes flashing, and lifts himself up just as Ladybug comes scrambling in to join them. He turns to her, gripping her by the arms. "My Lady! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Queen Bee, did he -"

"I'm fine too," Queen Bee says quickly. "I guess you were right. I did piss someone off."

Ladybug shakes her head. "No. This is all my fault. I should've told Alya that there was going to be a new Fox. I should have approached her in private instead of letting her see it on Instagram. I wasn’t thinking." She bites her lip, and her earrings beep.

"Where's your Lucky Charm?" Queen Bee demands, looking her over.

"It was a bottle of some kind of spray. Ursa crushed it before I could use it," Ladybug says. "I need to detransform and feed Tikki."

"I have to do the same for Plagg," says Chat. 

"Well, take this with you." Queen Bee digs around in her pocket and comes up with the Fox miraculous. She holds it with a hand that shakes. "If you see Nathaniel..."

"I'll call him. He gave me his number. I'm sure he's around here somewhere." Ladybug takes the box. "Queen Bee, stay here. Do not go near the akuma."

"I won't," Queen Bee promises. She watches them run out of the room, followed by a flash of red and green light that means they've detransformed. Immediately she feels alone and twice as scared.

"Queen Bee!" Ursa roars outside the school, and she jumps and flinches.

She's fully prepared to do as Ladybug said and stay inside the classroom, but then three huge paws appear in the hole that Chat's Cataclysm caused. Queen Bee shrinks back as the paws start to widen the hole. Cracks run up the wall and across the ceiling, and she suddenly realizes that Ursa is going to bring the second floor down on top of her. It might even bring the whole school down. The school where innocent students and teachers could be hiding from the akuma. 

The school where Marinette and Adrien and possibly Nathaniel are. 

She can't stay here. She runs towards the windows at the front of the classroom; one well placed kick with her right boot and the glass shatters. Queen Bee jumps out and looks around frantically. Her eyes land on her stinger and she sprints towards it, scooping it up off the ground. Having it back immediately makes her feel a little more in control, and she clutches it in her hand as she spins around to face Ursa.

"Listen to me! I wasn't the only one who pushed for a new Fox. It was a mutual decision!" Queen Bee yells.

"As though I would believe anything you say! When every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie!" Ursa lunges forward. Queen Bee dodges, throwing herself to the left. She actually feels claws pass within centimeters of her legs and shudders.

"I'm not lying! I'm telling you the truth!"

"Lies! I was a Good. Fox!" Ursa punctuates each word with another swipe of her claws.

There's no rationalizing with an akuma, Queen Bee realizes. Especially not one that hates her this much. She lurches upright. "Venom!" she yells, catching her stinger with her left hand. It pulses in her hand, power beading up at its tip.

"Gonna stab me, dumb bee?" Ursa taunts. 

"Damn right I am," Queen Bee says. The akuma has to be in the glasses. If she can use her stinger, then Ladybug, Chat and Filou can easily get the glasses and -

Oh.

" _Queen Bee_!!!"

Chat's shriek registers only dimly; it's overshadowed by the monstrous pain that feels like its consuming her. Queen Bee collapses, fire licking up her back. Ursa got its claws into her, she realizes belatedly. It feels like the right side of her body from her breasts down to her thigh is so cold that it _burns_. 

"Queen Bee!" Filou is there suddenly, gently gathering her into his arms. 

"Ch-chat," Queen Bee says raggedly. Oh god, it hurts to talk. She finds herself looking down at her body and wishes she wasn't. All she can see is blood running down the shredded remains of her miraculous suit. 

And even in the worst pain of her life, she's grateful for Pollen. Because if this is what Ursa did when Queen Bee was transformed, than that means Ursa's claws would've killed human Chloé Bourgeois. She would be dead right now without Pollen.

She might die anyway.

"Queen Bee, oh my god," Filou says, sounding frantic. He tries to press his hands against her side, she's literally bleeding from too many places. "Shh, it's okay. Don't try to talk. Ladybug and Chat will take care of everything. They're going to get that akuma and then Ladybug will fix everything." His voice is high-pitched with terror, and the jagged discordance of _wrong_ within the pack makes Queen Bee moan. It's always stronger when she's transformed.

"Am I hurting you?" he asks, freezing.

"N-no," Queen Bee rasps, which is a lie: everywhere he touches hurts more, if that's even possible. "Wh-where - Ladybug - "

"It's okay. Ladybug and Chat are fighting." Filou looks up, his eyes tracking something. Queen Bee wants to sit up and see what he's looking at, but it's taking all her strength just to keep her eyes open.

Something beeps. Her miraculous.

"Oh no, no, no," Filou breathes. "Ladybug! Chat! Hurry! She's going to detransform!" he screams.

"Lucky Charm!"

Ursa roars, quickly followed by an enraged yowl that can only be Chat. There's a loud thud that shakes the ground. Queen Bee's eyes slide shut. She's so cold.

"Cataclysm!"

"I free you from evil! Miraculous Ladybug!"

The sudden absence of pain is so shocking that, for a moment, Queen Bee is left scrambling. She opens her eyes again and sees tears on Filou's face, but then Chat is there and he's sobbing as he grabs her and Filou into a hug. He's shaking all over, trying to hold her tightly even as he's trying to be mindful of where her injury was. Then Ladybug races over, wrapping her own arms around the three of them.

"L-Ladybug? What happened?"

Queen Bee pulls her face out of Chat's chest and looks around Filou's tail to see Alya kneeling on the ground in her pajamas, looking around in confusion. Her eyes land on the four heroes and go wide. 

"Alya," Ladybug says. Her face is streaked with tears.

"What - what did I do?" Alya gets to her feet, looking horrified. But of course, there's no evidence to tell her what she might've done. Even the damage to Queen Bee's suit is gone, her skin miraculously knitted back together.

Ladybug wipes her face with her hands. "Um - I guess I need to talk to Alya. I don't want her to get akumatized again."

"It's okay," Filou says, since Queen Bee can't bring herself to speak yet and Chat has his face buried in Queen Bee's shoulder. "We'll wait for you."

She nods and walks over to Alya. Queen Bee's comb beeps again and her transformation comes undone. Pollen falls into Chloé's outstretched hands.

"My queen, are you okay?!" Pollen demands.

"I could ask the same thing of you," Chloé says wearily, bringing Pollen in against her chest. 

Whatever conversation Ladybug has with Alya is brief, and leaves Alya clearly trying not to cry. Ladybug heads back over to them; Chat scoops Chloé up without a word and uses his baton to vault them up to the rooftop. Filou and Ladybug follow. Chat leads them, seemingly with a destination in mind, and it doesn't take Chloé long to realize that he's heading towards the hotel. She doesn't argue, because it's one of the few places they've got the time to reach before Ladybug and Chat detransform.

Chat lands on her balcony and detransforms in a flash of green light. "God, Chloé," Adrien says tearfully, pulling her into another hug. "I thought - there was so much blood -"

"I'm okay, Adrikins," Chloé soothes, even though she's not actually sure that she is. She's healed, of course, but it still aches. Not the horrible pain from before, but something bone-deep that makes every movement painful: like her body hasn't fully caught on to the fact that she's healed.

Ladybug arrives next, detransforming in a flash of red light, and throws herself at Adrien and Chloé. Chloé doesn't even get the chance to say anything before Marinette's plastered to her back, hugging her so tightly that it's hard to breathe. Filou is the last to arrive, detransforming in a flash of orange light. He doesn't run to hug Chloé, but he does watch the three of them with wide, scared eyes. 

"Is it always like that?" he asks.

"That's never happened before," Marinette croaks. "Not like that. Chloé, you could've been killed."

Maybe she was. For a few seconds. Chloé can't be sure. Her hands shake where she's holding onto Adrien's shirt. "I guess I shouldn't have posted that picture of me and Filou on Instagram."

"You couldn't have known Alya would get akumatized," says Nathaniel. "It's not your fault."

"No, it's mine," Marinette says, pulling back. "Chloé, I am so sorry."

"Don't blame yourself," Chloé says. "None of us thought of that." She passes a trembling hand over her hair. "I'm - I'm cold. Anyone want to crawl into my hot tub with me? I have bathing suits."

"I - okay," Nathaniel says, blinking. "Sure."

"Adrikins?" Chloé says. He's being suspiciously quiet, just clinging to her. She pats his head. "Go with Nath. Help him find the suits."

"Chloé..." Adrien looks up at her. His eyes are red-rimmed, face streaked with tears. 

"I know." She tries to smile and fails.

Adrien lets go like he's scared to, glancing back at her several times as he walks into her bedroom with Nathaniel on his heels. Once they're gone, Chloé turns to look at Marinette. But Marinette won't look at her. 

Annoyed, Chloé says, "It wasn't your fault either."

Marinette snorts, wiping at her eyes. "It totally was. I know how honored Alya was when I asked for her help in the first place." She turns to face Chloé finally, more tears sliding down her face.

"But you never promised the Fox miraculous to her and only her," Chloé points out. "Hell, you were originally going to let her use the Bee miraculous before I found it." She has to shake off the prickle that runs under her skin when she says that. Pollen is _hers_. "Okay, maybe we should've thought to give Césaire a heads up, but you couldn't have known she would be akumatized over it."

"I just didn't think," Marinette mumbles. "And you took the brunt of it. Chloé, I'm sorry."

"Ugh, stop apologizing. It's not your fault," Chloé says again, though she can tell that Marinette doesn't believe her. "What did you say to her anyway?"

"The truth. That I had heard some things over the past several weeks that had changed my opinion of Alya's character. And that while those things didn't make her a bad person, I wasn't sure she was a good fit for the Fox anymore," says Marinette. "She knows the Fox, Turtle and Bee are the only miraculous right now, so it's not like there's another miraculous to offer her even if I wanted to. I wanted to be honest with her, and I wanted her to know that it wasn't because of you. I just hope she doesn't get akumatized again." 

"If she does, we'll deal with it," Chloé says, though it doesn't come out as forceful as she would like.

Marinette gives her a concerned look and says, "How about that hot tub? I’m kind of cold too."

So that's how the four of them end up in Chloé's hot tub. The boys wear the bathing suits that Adrien's left in her room over the years, while Marinette borrows a bathing suit of Chloé's. Adrien seems to feel slightly better once he sees all of Chloé's unmarred skin, but he still cuddles up beside her in the bath. Marinette sits so close on Chloé's right that there's no space between them. Nathaniel sits on Marinette's other side, his arm casually draped across Marinette's shoulder so that he can touch Chloé's back and shoulders. 

"I mean, this is just part of the job, right?" Chloé says after there's been silence for about five minutes. She almost wishes their kwami had joined them just for some extra comfort, but last she saw them Pollen was introducing them to her beehive.

"Unfortunately," Marinette says with a suspicious quiver in her voice. "I'm so tired of losing people. I can't bear it." A tremor runs through her and she covers her mouth. Chloé really wants to ask about the other times Ladybug has lost people – lost _Chat_ \- but she knows now isn’t the time. Still, the realization is both terrifying and sobering.

"But you always bring them back," Nathaniel says quietly, encouragingly.

"But what if one day I don't?" Marinette's voice breaks with a sob, and she leans her head on Nathaniel's shoulder. He casts Chloé a helpless look, his own eyes wet. Adrien sniffles, fresh tears falling on Chloé's shoulder.

"We're fine," Chloé says, more to convince herself than anyone else, and tries to ignore the renewed wetness on her own cheeks.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
